Provo Mayor John Curtis claimed victory in the three-way runoff Tuesday to be the GOP nominee in the bid to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who resigned his 3rd Congressional District seat earlier this year.
Curtis had about 42 percent of the vote by the end of election night, while Herrod had about 31 percent and Ainge 27 percent.
It was one of several posts on conservative-leaning social media, with some suggesting Ainge was a plant to drain votes from Herrod, who won the delegates’ nod in the special Republican convention to get on the primary ballot.